My Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars are the perfect healthy sweet treat to satisfy those cravings. It's the best combo of sweet, salty and nutty with only 5 ingredients.
Sweet and salty is the best combo and you are in for a treat with these peanut butter crunch bars. They're like a cross-over of a traditional rice krispie treat and those delicious chocolate covered granola bars, similar to my chocolate peanut butter rice krispies.
Chocolate + peanut butter + pretzel tastes amazing together, and if you don't believe me, you'll agree after this recipe. Mixed in a satisfying peanut butter crunch bar, we can't even make a week without going through our batch.
Why This Recipe Is Dietitian Approved
- No bake. You don't even need to turn on the oven in for this recipe, which is a prerequisite during the summer.
- 5 ingredients only. We're using just a handful of ingredients, and all of them are pantry staples.
- Healthy fats. These peanut butter crunch bars have some healthy fats, creating more of a balanced sweet treat that won't leave you with an energy crash.
Ingredients
Chocolate. I recommend using dark chocolate like this one to help minimize the added sugar but you can use semi sweet or even milk chocolate.
Peanut butter. For added protein, healthy fats and a delicious nutty flvour. I recommend looking for a smooth natural peanut butter made with just peanuts (and salt) to help minimize added sugars.
Nuts. Any nuts will work in this recipe! I’ve used walnuts, almonds,peanuts or even seeds like sunflower seeds (or a combination of a few).
Puffed rice cereal. This is the base that makes up the “crunch”! Any crispy or puffed rice cereal such as “Rice Krispies” or puffed quinoa will work.
Pretzels. I like adding pretzels for a little salty addition to the sweet chocolate, however you can easily replace these with additional puffed rice or chopped nuts.
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate and peanut butter. Melt in increments of 30 seconds for a total of 1.5 minutes or until the chocolate is smooth (stirring in between).
- To the bowl add chopped nuts, puffed rice cereal and pretzels and stir to combine.
- Press the mixture into a parchment paper lined square baking pan, and freeze overnight.
- In the morning, remove the pan from the freezer, carefully cut it into squares and enjoy straight out of the freezer!
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: not all crispy rice cereal is gluten-free. Some contain a malt coating, so I recommend ensuring it clearly states certified gluten-free like these ones. These are also my favourite gluten free pretzels.
To make dairy-free/vegan: use dairy-free/vegan chocolate.
To make nut-free: I have not tested a nut-free version of this recipe, but you can try swapping the peanut butter for sunflower seed butter and swapping the nuts for additional pretzels, cereal or a seed.
These are great to customize! Feel free to add in any mix-ins of choice. Crushed graham crackers, frozen fruit, freeze-dried fruit, coconut and different nuts/seeds would be delicious.
Equipment
- Loaf pan
- Mixing bowl
Storage
These peanut butter crunch bars are great to prep a batch at the beginning of the week. If stored in an airtight container, they can stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thanks to the fat in the peanut butter, these don’t get too solid once frozen so you should be able to enjoy them straight out of the freezer.
Top Tips for Success
If you are using the microwave method to heat your chocolate, I highly recommend ensuring you are melting the chocolate and peanut butter in 30 second increments and stirring well in between. This helps ensure you aren’t burning the chocolate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! I love the airiness of puffed cereal but you can definitely experiment. Higher protein cereals are a great option if you want to boost the protein content.
More Easy Dessert Recipes
Sweet treats can definitely be part of a balanced diet. Try these next:
- No Bake Chocolate Oat Bars
- Granola Bars with Yogurt Coating
- Brownie Protein Bars
- Freezer Banana Snickers Bites
See you in the kitchen!
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make these chocolate peanut butter crunch bars, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 1 cup puffed rice cereal
- 1 cup chopped pretzels
Instructions
- In a large microwave-safe bowl combine chocolate and peanut butter. Melt in increments of 30 seconds for a total of 1.5 minutes or until the chocolate is smooth (stirring in between).
- To the bowl add chopped nuts, puffed rice cereal and pretzels and stir to combine.
- Press the mixture into a parchment paper lined square baking pan, and freeze overnight.
- In the morning, remove the pan from the freezer, carefully cut it into squares and enjoy straight out of the freezer!
Notes
- If you wish to use a double boiler to melt the chocolate you may! .In a double boiler over medium-low heat, melt together dark chocolate and peanut butter, stirring until chocolate is fully melted.
- If you wish to make smaller squares you can halve each bar for a total of 24 pieces!
Christine Blake says
I have made these twice now, the are absolutely phenomenal!! My picky nephews love them too!
Marissa says
I just made these last night and tried one this afternoon - delicious! I love how simple the ingredient list is, but I’d love to experiment with swapping the PB for Nutella next time. Overall, this is a perfect not-too-sweet afternoon treat!
Emily says
Absolutely love the crunchy-ness of this sweet and salty snack! So easy to just throw everything together and then stick it in the freezer. I used walnuts and almonds for the nuts and it’s so good.